Trustees cancel land contract with developer for campus site

FORT BEND INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTNew high school proposed to be built southeast of FM 521, Texas 6

ZEN T. C. ZHENG, Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Published 5:30 am, Thursday, May 29, 2008

Fort Bend Independent School District officials have canceled a $3.4 million contract with Hillwood Development to purchase 77 acres south of Sienna Plantation for a new high school and a future elementary campus.

With much of the discussion behind closed door, school board trustees at a May 22 meeting were vague on their rationale for canceling the deal they approved in March.

When reached by phone, Hohnbaum said she didn't feel comfortable to comment on the issue as she has "a learning curve" as a new trustee.

"They were ready to drop the contract but I wasn't ready," she said.

When asked if she thinks the high school should be built close to Sienna Plantation, she said, "It's not about Sienna."

Menendez and board president Sonal Bhuchar could not be reached for comment.

New high school

Lee Petros, the district's executive director of support services, said May 23 that the new high school, which the district wants to open in August 2010, now would be built on a 65-acre site southeast of FM 521 and Texas 6.

Trustees in February approved the purchase of 110 acres comprised of three tracts of 65, 30 and 15 acres — for $5.3 million at a price of $1.1 per square foot from Hannover Estates.

"We were surprised and very disappointed. This would have been a win-win on all fronts," said Brian Carlock, senior vice president of Hillwood Friday.

Carlock said district and company representatives were scheduled to close on the purchase on June 20.

"Our schedule would allow for the completion of the high school project in fall of 2010," he said. "High school consultants also said the project is economically feasible, the timeline works and the site is cheaper than the alternative site for the high school."

Conditions concern trustees

Petros, whose staff prepared the contract with Hillwood, said the school board expressed concerns about certain conditions of the contract, but declined to comment further.

Reitz on May 23 cited the negotiation process with Hillwood as being "too long." He said he visited both the Hillwood and the Hannover sites.

"I talked to some folks in Sienna Plantation and I didn't feel the high school could be built at the Hillwood site in time," Reitz said, declining to elaborate on "a number of things" that led to his disbelief.

Carlock said negotiations began in late fall last year. Hillwood did make a few requests with the district during the negotiation. However, those requests were not attached as conditions to the contract, he said.

"The district hasn't given us the reasons and we are not quite understanding what issues they have," Carlock said.

He said Hillwood sought the district's assurance that a residential development Hillwood plans south of Sienna Plantation would not be excluded from the attendance zone for the proposed new high school. Also, the company wants to be involved in the naming of the future campus.

"Those issues appeared to have been settled as early as in February before the school board approved the contract in March," Carlock said.

The negotiation resulted in Hillwood's slashing the total purchase price by $503,118 — from $1.15 per square foot to $1, said Superintendent Tim Jenney.

Reitz said the the district is likely to reopen negotiations with Hillwood in the near future as the district still has a need for a new elementary campus and a new middle school for the Sienna Plantation area when the subdivision is built out.

"I look forward to working with them again," Reitz said.

Carlock said although he is disappointed at the board's decision, the company is open to future talks.

In addition to the new high school, the Hannover site would also accommodate a new elementary school, which would be the 45th in the district, and an alternative learning center. Both are part of the bond package voters approved in November 2007.

Petros said the elementary school is scheduled to open in fall 2009 and the alternative campus in 2010.